47.1% of US local businesses have fewer than 10 Google reviews, and one in five has none at all. The median business has 12 reviews, so a steady trickle of honest reviews is enough to stand out in most categories.
Analysis of 23,164 Google Business Profiles across 54 business categories · Google Business Profiles, September 2026
Key Findings
- 1.47.1% of US local businesses have fewer than 10 Google reviews.
- 2.20% of Google Business Profiles have zero reviews, and another 27.1% have between 1 and 9.
- 3.The median local business has 12 Google reviews, while the average is 134, pulled up by the 2.7% of businesses with 1,000 or more.
- 4.Claimed Google Business Profiles have a median of 28 reviews, against 1 for unclaimed profiles, and 81.4% of unclaimed profiles have fewer than 10.
- 5.89.8% of SaaS company Google Business Profiles have fewer than 10 reviews, against 11.2% of restaurant profiles.
Summary
A customer searches Google Maps for an accountant and gets three results: one firm with more than a hundred reviews and two with a handful each. The first firm looks established and trusted; the other two look like they might have closed. Most local businesses are one of the two.
Google reviews are the public record of what customers thought of you, shown on your Google Business Profile, the free listing that appears in Google Search and Maps. They sit right next to your name when someone is choosing who to call, and a business with few reviews asks each new customer to take a chance on it.
47.1% of local businesses have fewer than 10 Google reviews, and 20% have none. The median business has 12. That is a problem for the businesses at the bottom and an opening for everyone else: in most categories, a business that collects a few dozen honest reviews is already ahead of the typical competitor.
What we measured
On September 23, 2026 we collected 23,164 US Google Business Profiles across 54 business categories, from accountants and dentists to restaurants, hotels and tattoo shops, and recorded the number of Google reviews on each. We report the share of businesses with fewer than 10 reviews and with none, the median and average number of reviews, and the same figures by category and by whether the owner has claimed the profile.
A Google Business Profile is the listing that shows a business's reviews, star rating, hours and contact details in Google Search and Maps. A profile is claimed when the owner has verified it with Google and can edit it; an unclaimed profile is one Google created that no owner has taken over. The median is the middle business: half have more reviews, half have fewer.
One in five Google Business Profiles has no reviews
Another 27.1% have between 1 and 9, which brings the share of local businesses under 10 reviews to 47.1%, almost half. At the other end, 21.5% have 100 or more reviews and 2.7% have 1,000 or more.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 23,164 Google Business Profiles across 54 business categories · Google Business Profiles, September 2026
That small group at the top distorts the average. The average local business has 134 Google reviews, but the median has 12, so the average is more than ten times what a typical business has. If you compare yourself with "the average business", you are comparing yourself with a figure almost nobody reaches. The median is the honest benchmark, and it is low.
Unclaimed profiles have a median of one review
28% of Google Business Profiles are unclaimed, and those profiles barely collect reviews: their median is 1, and 81.4% of them have fewer than 10. Claimed profiles have a median of 28 reviews.
The link runs both ways. An owner who claims the listing can reply to reviews, add photos and share the review link with customers, so claimed profiles are the ones that get reviews asked for. And a busy business that already gets reviews has more reason to claim its listing. Either way, an unclaimed profile is a sign that nobody is managing how the business looks on Google.
B2B and professional services have the fewest reviews
The thinnest review profiles belong to businesses whose customers rarely think to leave a public review, or where the business never asks. 89.8% of SaaS companies have fewer than 10 Google reviews, and 56.6% have none. Financial advisors are close behind, with 85.5% under 10 and 64.1% at zero. Manufacturers and accountants have a median of 1 review.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 23,164 Google Business Profiles across 54 business categories · Google Business Profiles, September 2026
| Category | Under 10 reviews | Zero reviews | Median reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| SaaS | 89.8% | 56.6% | 0 |
| Financial advisor | 85.5% | 64.1% | 0 |
| Manufacturing | 79.1% | 40.6% | 1 |
| Nonprofit | 75.5% | 39.6% | 2 |
| Accountant | 74.8% | 37.7% | 1 |
| General contractor | 74.4% | 22.2% | 3 |
| Lawyer | 68.2% | 28.1% | 3 |
| Dentist | 62.1% | 39.4% | 2 |
For these businesses, a handful of reviews is enough to lead the category. A lawyer or dentist with ten reviews already has more than most of their competitors, because 68.2% of lawyers and 62.1% of dentists sit below that line.
Restaurants and hotels collect reviews without asking
Consumer businesses with frequent walk-in visits sit at the other end. The median restaurant has 214 Google reviews, only 11.2% of restaurants have fewer than 10, and just 3% have none. Hotels are close behind at a median of 213. Their customers visit often, open Google Maps to find them, and leave reviews without being asked.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 23,164 Google Business Profiles across 54 business categories · Google Business Profiles, September 2026
| Category | Under 10 reviews | Median reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant | 11.2% | 214 |
| Beauty store | 14.2% | 70 |
| Nail salon | 18.8% | 68 |
| Mattress store | 19.8% | 116 |
| Tattoo shop | 20.8% | 51 |
| Hotel | 22.4% | 213 |
| Pet groomer | 23% | 45 |
Home service trades sit in between: the median plumber has 10 Google reviews, HVAC companies 16 and roofers 9. These businesses do visible work in customers' homes, often in a stressful moment, yet most leave reviews to chance.
What this means for local business owners
Compare yourself with your category, not the average. A dentist with a few dozen reviews is ahead of most dentists; a restaurant with the same count is far behind. Look up the three or four competitors that appear next to you on Google Maps, note their review counts, and set a target just above them.
Claim your Google Business Profile first if you have not. Unclaimed profiles have a median of one review, and until you claim yours you cannot reply to reviews or manage what customers see. Then build the review request into the job: the categories with the fewest reviews are the ones where nobody asks, such as the accountant who files a return or the lawyer who closes a case. A short text or email with a direct review link after each finished job is the simplest fix.
Keep it steady rather than in bursts, so your profile always shows recent reviews. Our local seo packages include review programs and Google Business Profile management for local businesses.
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/google-reviews-per-local-business">47.1% of Local Businesses Have Fewer Than 10 Google Reviews - Suff Digital</a></p>
Cite this study
Suff Digital. (2026). 47.1% of Local Businesses Have Fewer Than 10 Google Reviews. https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/google-reviews-per-local-business
47.1% of Local Businesses Have Fewer Than 10 Google Reviews - Suff Digital - https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/google-reviews-per-local-business
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